NextChapter

Entry-level software developer jobs: what the job is, skills and open roles

A junior developer writes and fixes code in a team, under the guidance of senior developers. Entry roles value projects, internships, degrees or bootcamps; competition is high and tests are common. Right now 618 entry-level software developer jobs are open on employers’ own career sites.

What a software developer does

In the technology and it family of jobs. Roles that build, test, secure and support software and systems.

A typical day

  1. 1. Fix bugs and write small features
  2. 2. Write tests
  3. 3. Review others' code
  4. 4. Learn the team's codebase
  5. 5. Join stand-ups and planning

Do you need experience?

29 of the 618 open entry-level software developer jobs say in their own text that no experience is required. 11 say they provide training. The figures are counted from the posting text and change as jobs open and close.

Open entry-level software developer jobs

Taken from employers’ own career sites and checked to still be open within the last week.

Showing the newest 15 of about 618 verified open jobs here. Search all jobs

Search all software developer jobs

Skills for software developer jobs

The skills this job uses, most important first. Most can be learned or shown before the first day.

Skills to build or show

  1. 1. One main language (Python, JavaScript, Java or C#)
  2. 2. Git
  3. 3. Data structures basics
  4. 4. Testing
  5. 5. Debugging
  6. 6. Clear communication

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The market for software developer work

Every figure names its source.

Open entry-level software developer jobs
618

Source: NextChapter, checked against employer career sites, last 7 days.

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Openings that say no experience is required
29

Source: The posting’s own text, counted by NextChapter.

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Openings that say they provide training
11

Source: The posting’s own text, counted by NextChapter.

Median pay in listings that state it
$90,000

Source: NextChapter verified openings (194 with pay).

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Employment outlook, the closest government category
Projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035 (much faster than average).

Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035.

AI use at work, the closest government category
Among software developers, AI is already used for some of the tasks.

Source: Anthropic Economic Index.

Across 194 open entry-level software developer listings that state an annual pay figure, the middle half run from $80,500 to $104,000, with a median of $90,000. Listings that state pay are not every listing, and some roles add commission or bonus on top.

Outlook and AI-use figures are for the government category “Software developers”, the closest match to this job.

Where entry-level software developer jobs are

Between jobs? Unemployment benefits and severance rules in these states, or in every state.

Employers hiring software developers now

  • ClearanceJobs 21
  • Boeing 13
  • Leidos 13
  • Garmin 12
  • Northrop Grumman 9
  • RTX 8
  • Emonics 7
  • stanleyreid 7
  • Serco 6
  • True Anomaly 6

More jobs like software developer

Roles that use the same skills, and where this job commonly leads.

Where it can lead

Similar entry-level jobs

All entry-level technology and it jobs · Software Developer jobs at every level

Questions about software developer jobs

What does a software developer do?
A junior developer writes and fixes code in a team, under the guidance of senior developers. Entry roles value projects, internships, degrees or bootcamps; competition is high and tests are common. A typical day includes: fix bugs and write small features; write tests; review others' code; learn the team's codebase; join stand-ups and planning.
Can I get an entry-level software developer job with no experience?
29 of the 618 open entry-level software developer jobs say in their own text that no experience is required. 11 say they provide training. The figures are counted from the posting text and change as jobs open and close.
What skills do you need to be a software developer?
The skills this job uses most are one main language (python, javascript, java or c#), git, data structures basics, testing, debugging, clear communication. Most can be learned before the first day through coursework, short courses, practice or a related job.
How much does an entry-level software developer make?
Across 194 open entry-level software developer listings that state an annual pay figure, the middle half run from $80,500 to $104,000, with a median of $90,000. Listings that state pay are not every listing, and some roles add commission or bonus on top.
Where can a software developer job lead?
People in this job commonly move to web developer, QA tester, DevOps or cloud engineer, data analyst. The link between jobs is the shared skills; the path is not guaranteed and depends on the employer.

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